Railway-switch.



PATBNTED JULY 25, 1905.

0 B. BRINKER RAILWAY SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED OUT-21, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application filed October 21, 1904. Serial No. 229,514.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLEs' B. BRINKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at West Lebanon, in the county of Warren and State of Indiana,have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway-switches.

A frequent cause of railway accidents is that a switchman opens a sidingand neglects to close the same at the proper time, for which reasonatrain traversing the main line plunges into the siding and is wreckedor derailed.

The object of this invention is to prevent the occurrence of suchaccidents by equipping the siding-switch with mechanism whereby in theevent that it be left open through neglect the approach of a train uponthe main line will serve automatically to close said switch.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed as a practical embodiment thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a plan view of a railway having a main track and a side trackequipped with the improvements of the present invention. Fig. 2 is atransverse section thereof on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asimilar section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is aperspective viewshowing one of the contact-shoes.

Like reference numerals and letters indicate corresponding parts in thedifferent views.

The improvements of this invention are illustrated in connection with amain track A and a side track B, the main track comprising the rails 1and 2 and the side track comprising the rails 3 and 4. The transfer of atrain from the main track A to the side track B is effected throughsuitable switch-point levers 5 and 6, which are adapted to be operatedsimultaneously by means of a bar 7, arranged to slide transversely ofthe main track beneath the rails thereof, as indicated in Fig. 2, saidswitch-point levers 5 and 6 being connected with the sliding bar 7 bymeans of a suitable clamping-plate 8. The sliding bar 7 is provided,preferably on its upper surface, with a lug or offset 9, which is formedwith a suitable perforation 10. Connected to a pair of guide-blocks 1112, between which the sliding bar 7 is adapted to move, is a pair ofretracting-springs 13 and 14, which serve normally to hold the bar 7 insuch retracted position that the switch-point lever 6 is closed, wherebythe main line is opened for the passage of trains without danger ofside-tracking and thus wrecking or derailing the same. Pivotallyconnected with the rear end of the sliding bar 7, as shown at 15, is ahand-lever 16, which is fulcrumed at 17 between suitable uprights 18 19,arranged upon opposite sides of the sliding bar 7.

Arranged parallel with the track 2 of the main line is a rod 20, whichabuts at its end against the lug or ofiset 9 adjacent to the perforation10, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The rod 20 is forced against the lugor offset 9 by means of a coil-spring 21, which surrounds said rod, saidspring 21 bearing at one end against acollar 22 upon the rod 20 and atthe other end against a bracket 23, which is secured to the rail 2 andthrough which the rod 20 extends. At the end thereof removed from theswitch the rod 20 is pivotally connected with the lower end of acontact-shoe 24, which is pivotally connected intermediate its ends, asshown at 25, with the rail 2, as indicated in Fig. 4.

Pivotally connected in any suitable manner with the rod 20, as shown at26, is a crank 27, which is connected with a shaft 28, extendingtransversely of the main track A. At the end thereof opposite the crank27 the shaft 28 is provided with a second crank 29, which extends in adirection opposite the crank 27 and has connected with the end thereof arod 30, which extends parallel with the track 1.. The rod 30 isconnected at its end with a contactshoe 31, which is similar in allrespects to the contact-shoe 24. (Illustrated in Fig. 4.)

Rotatively mounted upon the upper end of a column 32, located adjacentto the track 2, is adisk 33, which is formed upon its periphery with aprojection 34, adapted to contact with a laterally-extending arm 35 uponthe springoperated rod 20. The disk 33 is adapted to be rotated by meansof a link 36, the end of which is bent down and inserted into a suitablesocket in said disk. At the end thereof opposite the disk 33 the link 36is pivotally connected with the lower end of a hand-lever 37, pivotedbetween suitable uprights 38 and 39.

Constructed as hereinbefore described, the operation of the improvedswitch mechanism is as follows: When it is desired to open the switch soas to permit a train to-enter the side track, the switchman operates thehand-lever 16 in such manner as to move the sliding bar 7 toward theright against the tension of the retracting-springs 13 and 14, thusmoving the switch-point?) against the rail 1 and moving the switch-point6 away from the rail 2. As soon as the perforation 10 in the lug oroffset 9 of the sliding bar 7 is disposed across the end of the rod 20the spring 21 acts to force said rod forward until it enters saidperforation 10, thus locking the switch in opened position against thetension of the retractingsprings 13 and 1 1, the action of which is towithdraw the sliding bar 7 and thus close the switch. As soon as the bar20 slides forward to enter the perforation 10 and lock the switch inopened position the contact-shoe 24,. which normally is disposed in aposition below the tread-surface of the rail 2, is raised above saidrail into position to be struck and depressed by a train approaching theswitch.

In like manner thecontactshoe 31, through the crank-shaft 28 and rod30,. is elevated above the track as soon as the rod- 20 slides forwardinto-the perforation 10; By reason of this arrangement of the contactshoes 24: and 31, in the event that the switchman should open the switchand. neglect to close the same at the proper time a train approachingthe switch along the main line A from either direction will strike anddepress one or the other of the contact-shoes, thus serving to withdrawthe spring-operated, rod 20 from the perforation lOand permit thesprings 13 and 14 to exert their force in retracting the sliding bar 7,andthus closing the switch, whereby any liability that a train on themain line will accidentally enter'the side track andbe derailed orwrecked is automatically prevented.

In. order that the switchmanmay beable voluntarily to close the switchwithout the" necessity of walking along the track until he shall be ableto operate one or the other of the contact-shoes 2 1 and 31, thehand-lever 37 is provided. By operating this hand-lever 37 to rotate thedisk 33 the spring-operated rod 20 is manually withdrawn fromtheperforation 10, thus permitting the retracting-springs 13 and let toclose the switch. It will be understood that when the rod 20 isWithdrawn from the perforation 10 either by means of the hand-lever 3'1or of one or the other of the contact-shoes 24 and 31 both of saidcontact-shoes will be automatically depressed, so as to be disposed in aposition below the tread-surface of the-adjacent rail.

It will be understood that for the purposeof this invention the train isprovided with av suitable device for contacting with the shoes 2a and31. The construction of such device is such that it may be raised awayfrom the railway-track when it is desiredv that the contact-shoes 24 and31 shall not beoperated; otherwise during the switching operation theswitch might be accidentally closed at the wrong time. As any suitablemechanism may be employed upon the locomotive for striking anddepressing the contact-shoes and as such mechanism forms no part of thepresent invention, it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate theconstruction thereof in this application.

Changes in the precise embodiment of inventionillustrated'and'describedmay be-made within the scopeof the followingclaims without departing from; the spirit of the invention; orsacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. Thecombination with; a railway-track having switch-point levers, ofa bararranged -transversely across the track. andconnected with saidswitch-point levers, spring means connected with said bar for retractingthe same, a spring-pressed: rod bearing against the bar and adapted tolock the same in advanced position against the tension of the springmeans, a contacting-shoe connected with said spring-operated rod, acrank-shaft pivotally'connected with said spring-operated rod and.-extending transversely across the track, a second contactingshoeconnected withv said crank-shaft, and? manually-operable meansadapted toact uponthe'spring-pressed rod for retracting the same.

2. The combination with a railway-track having switch-point levers, of abar arranged: transversely across the track: and connecteddirectly with,said' switclrpointlevers, spring means connected directly with said barfor retracting the same, a handrleverconnected directly with saidbar,.aperforated lug on: said bar, a spring-operated rod bearing-against ,saidlug'adjacent tothe perforation therein,

a contact-shoe connected directly with: said spring-operated rod and:pivotally mounted adjacent to the railway-track, a crank-shaftpivota-lly connectedwitlrsaidspring+operated rod. and extendingtransversely across thetrack, a second contact-shoe, a rod connectingsaid crank-shaft with saidsecond contact-shoe, a rotary diskhaving: aprojection thereon, a lateral: arm on saidspring-operated rodiadapted tobe engaged by the projection on said disk, a linkconnected to said diskfor rotating thesame, and a lever connected to said link.

3. The combination with main. andbranchline rails, of movableswitch-points, an; element movable with said points and: providedwith akeeper, a longitudinally-movable-locking member adapted for engagementwiththe keeper, a track-lever connected with the locking member and.normally lying beneath the tread of one of the rails, means forshifting; the switch-points to open. the branch. line, a spring actingdirectly upon: and for automat- In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES B. BRINKER.

Witnesses:

W. H. CLARKE, GEORGE M. BOND.

